Book Review: A WARTIME CHRISTMAS BY CAROL RIVERS

 

A WARTIME CHRISTMAS BY CAROL RIVERS   Published by Simon & Schuster October 2013 464 pages (Paperback)
My Rating: 8/10  

About the Book:

Can love find a way this Christmas?
Christmas 1941, Isle of Dogs. The little community on Slater Street has fought valiantly to keep their spirits up through the long nights of the Blitz. Though her husband, Alan, has been called up to serve his country, Kay Lewis is determined to give her young son Alfie and friend Vi as merry a Christmas as any other. But when a strange woman and her son arrive on her doorstep, Kay's world is shaken to the core.
Could the terrible accusations that Dolly makes about Alan be true? Could he really have been leading a double life without her realising? Has he really stolen a large sum of money from Dolly and her son, Sean?
Then disaster strikes as Alan is reported missing in action. With no way of discovering the truth, Kay will have some difficult decisions to make if she is to protect her family and keep her faith in the man she thought she knew. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Wartime-Christmas/Carol-Rivers/9780857208330#sthash.juVbpDui.dpuf

Christmas 1941, Isle of Dogs. The little community on Slater Street has fought valiantly to keep their spirits up through the long nights of the Blitz. Though her husband, Alan, has been called up to serve his country, Kay Lewis is determined to give her young son Alfie and friend Vi as merry a Christmas as any other. 

But when a strange woman and her son arrive on her doorstep, Kay's world is shaken to the core. Could the terrible accusations that Dolly makes about Alan be true? Could he really have been leading a double life without her realising? Has he really stolen a large sum of money from Dolly and her son, Sean? 

Then disaster strikes as Alan is reported missing in action. With no way of discovering the truth, Kay will have some difficult decisions to make if she is to protect her family and keep her faith in the man she thought she knew.

First Paragraph:

Kay Lewis opened her sleepy grey eyes to the sights, sounds and smells of the world as she had known it for the past eight months of the London Blitz.  Her immediate thought was that, unbelievably, she was still alive.  After another night's intensive bombing over the Isle of Dogs - the heart of London's East End - the corrugated iron shelter was still in one piece over her!

Kay Lewis is the book's likeable main character.  She has a young son, Alfie,  her husband Alan has recently left his job and joined the Heavy Rescue Squad and Kay works in the local armaments factory.  They are a happy family unit who are struggling, like so many families, to survive during the War.  Her elderly friend and neighbour Vi's house is bombed and Kay lets her live with them.  Money is scarce but they manage. 

This is a story of how people cope in such hardship, of how friendships and love are tested and how they survive in the most challenging of situations, living in constant fear of air raids and the deadly doodlebugs.  How they try to grasp a little happiness in such desperately sad and lonely times.

I thought the blurb was a little misleading, it reads as if it's one Christmas but the book covers several Christmases while Alan is away at war, and Kay's mind is in turmoil over the strange woman and her small son who makes hurtful claims about her husband.

While overall the book was an enjoyable read, I would have liked to have known what Kay was really thinking and feeling about her husband being missing - did she think he was dead or alive - was she moving on or was she still holding out hope for him?  I thought the author did not make it clear.

The writing was clear though and made for an easy read with resilient and sympathetic characters.  What I did like was how the author kept us guessing as to what was happening with Alan, there was just one teaser chapter which gave us more questions than answers!

I enjoyed reading the story and would read another one by Carol Rivers.  She has written several novels and to read more about them and the author check these out -

Fantastic Fiction

Goodreads

Simon & Schuster UK

Carol Rivers website

Source:  I received this book from the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review.

Book Review: THE POISONED ISLAND BY LLOYD SHEPHERD

THE POISONED ISLAND

BY

LLOYD SHEPHERD

Published by Simon & Schuster November 2013

My Rating:  8/10

About the Book:

London 1812: For forty years Britain has dreamed of the Pacific island of Tahiti, a dark paradise of bloody cults and beautiful natives. Now, decades after the first voyage of Captain Cook, a new ship returns to London, crammed with botanical specimens and, it seems, the mysteries of Tahiti.
When, days after the Solander's arrival, some of its crew are found dead and their sea-chests ransacked - their throats slashed, faces frozen into terrible smiles - John Harriott, magistrate of the Thames river police, puts constable Charles Horton in charge of the investigation. But what connects the crewmen's dying dreams with the ambitions of the ship's principal backer, Sir Joseph Banks of the Royal Society? And how can Britain's new science possibly explain the strangeness of Tahiti's floral riches now growing at Kew? - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Poisoned-Island/Lloyd-Shepherd/9781471100369#sthash.atdRRrHi.dpuf

London 1812: For forty years Britain has dreamed of the Pacific island of Tahiti, a dark paradise of bloody cults and beautiful natives. Now, decades after the first voyage of Captain Cook, a new ship returns to London, crammed with botanical specimens and, it seems, the mysteries of Tahiti.
When, days after the Solander's arrival, some of its crew are found dead and their sea-chests ransacked - their throats slashed, faces frozen into terrible smiles - John Harriott, magistrate of the Thames river police, puts constable Charles Horton in charge of the investigation. But what connects the crewmen's dying dreams with the ambitions of the ship's principal backer, Sir Joseph Banks of the Royal Society? And how can Britain's new science possibly explain the strangeness of Tahiti's floral riches now growing at Kew? - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Poisoned-Island/Lloyd-Shepherd/9781471100369#sthash.atdRRrHi.dpuf

LONDON 1812: For forty years Britain has dreamed of the Pacific island of Tahiti, a dark paradise of bloody cults and beautiful natives. Now, decades after the first voyage of Captain Cook, a new ship returns to London, crammed with botanical specimens and, it seems, the mysteries of Tahiti. When, days after the Solander's arrival, some of its crew are found dead and their sea-chests ransacked - their throats slashed, faces frozen into terrible smiles - John Harriott, magistrate of the Thames river police, puts constable Charles Horton in charge of the investigation. But what connects the crewmen's dying dreams with the ambitions of the ship's principal backer, Sir Joseph Banks of the Royal Society? And how can Britain's new science possibly explain the strangeness of Tahiti's floral riches now growing at Kew?

"Madhouse, Greenhouse, Farmhouse, Funhouse.  Kew is all these things."

At the start of the book we are introduced to some of the crew of the Solander who have recently returned from Tahiti.  Their ship contained hundreds of exotic plants all destined for Kew Gardens. One of them is Sam Ransome who 'enjoyed the delights of the island', and who, upon reaching his lodgings, immediately puts the kettle on and makes himself a cup of tea and is 'blissfully happy'.  Unfortunately for Sam he is found strangled soon after but with a huge smile on his face!

More of the crew are found murdered in a similar way and constable Charles Horton is struggling to find a motive, a killer or a possible connection to their deaths.  

This is an intelligent and well written story with interesting characters.  Lloyd Shepherd's earlier book The English Monster also features Horton and his boss, John Harriott, and several references are made to those murders in this book.

If you like your historical murder mysteries with atmosphere, well developed characters and an unusual plotline slowly unfolding like the leaves of some mysterious tropical island plant, then I would recommend you add this to your bookshelf.

Available from Amazon.co.uk now and Amazon.com on 14 January 2014

Lloyd Shepherd can be found on twitter as @lloydshep

Source:  From the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: THE CHEESEMAKER'S HOUSE BY JANE CABLE

THE CHEESEMAKER'S HOUSE

BY

JANE CABLE

Published by Troubadour 1 Oct 2013

About the Book:

The novel follows the life of Alice Hart, who escapes to the North Yorkshire countryside to recover after her husband runs off with his secretary. Battling with loneliness but trying to make the best of her new start, she soon meets her neighbours, including handsome builder Richard Wainwright and kind café owner Owen Maltby. As Alice employs Richard to start renovating the barn next to her house, all is not what it seems. Why does she start seeing Owen when he clearly isn’t there? Where – or when – does the strange crying come from? And if Owen is the village ‘charmer’, what exactly does that mean? 

 

Spoken in the 1st person by Alice, she is trying to re-build her life again in a small Yorkshire village by renovating an old barn next to her cottage.

 

The story centres around the discovery in the barn and of Alice seeing people who aren't there, hearing sounds and finding herself in strange situations from the past.  There's a touch of the supernatural and a possible romance in this novel.

 

It's an enjoyable enough story which I found a little slow to get going and it didn't really capture my attention throughout the whole book.  The character of Owen was annoying, he was moody, secretive and often untalkative.  When Alice is seeing and hearing sounds she doesn't seem to appear worried or scared which I found slightly strange.  She mentioned it in passing but talked as if it wasn't a big deal.

 

Alice was the only character I warmed to, all the others seemed one-dimensional and I didn't like any of them.  I think more could have been made of the barn and cottage history, I would have liked to have known more of that side of the story.

If you like your tales with a supernatural twist, a little romance and some genealogy thrown in then maybe you'd enjoy this.

I was surprised to learn that this won the Suspense and Crime category of the Alan Tichmarsh Show's People's Novelist Competition.  Unfortunately, I didn't find it suspenseful at all.  

Jane Cable's Website

Check out Liz Loves Books for a great review and interview with Jane Cable, author of The Cheesemaker's House

 

 

Book Review: NEVER COMING BACK BY TIM WEAVER

NEVER COMING BACK

BY

TIM WEAVER

Published by Penguin August 2013

About the Book:

 

It was supposed to be the start of a big night out. But when Emily Kane arrives at her sister Carrie's house, she finds the front door unlocked and no one inside. Dinner's cooking, the TV's on. Carrie, her husband and their two daughters are gone.
When the police draw a blank, Emily asks missing persons investigator David Raker to find them. It's clear someone doesn't want the family found.
But as he gets closer to the truth, Raker begins to uncover evidence of a sinister cover-up, spanning decades and costing countless lives. And worse, in trying to find Emily's missing family, he might just have made himself the next target...

Read more at http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780241954416,00.html#0Dwpbyf23qLfJx3I.99

 It was supposed to be the start of a big night out. But when Emily Kane arrives at her sister Carrie's house, she finds the front door unlocked and no one inside. Dinner's cooking, the TV's on. Carrie, her husband and their two daughters are gone.

When the police draw a blank, Emily asks missing persons investigator David Raker to find them. It's clear someone doesn't want the family found.

But as he gets closer to the truth, Raker begins to uncover evidence of a sinister cover-up, spanning decades and costing countless lives. And worse, in trying to find Emily's missing family, he might just have made himself the next target ...

 

"....... it was a snapshot of time:  nothing but the milk out of place.  The food was still cooking, the lights were still on, the TV, the computer, the cars, the dog.

All the signs of being a family home.

But none of the family."

This was a gripping thriller that, from about half way in, I could not put down.  I had to find out what had happened to the family and why.

The story is told mainly in the first person by David Raker and starts in 2007 in Las Vegas where he meets an old friend from school, but, after chatting for a little while, his friend disappears and he never sees him again.

Back to the present now and Raker is recuperating in his parents old cottage by the seaside, after being stabbed five months ago, when a body is found on the beach.  Then he meets his teenage sweetheart, they hadn't seen each other for 24 years, and she asks for his help in finding her missing family.

The story again goes back a couple of years to a family meeting a doctor and the mother notices a photograph that the doctor owns.

The story goes back and forth between these two different timelines and I found these teasing chapters a little confusing but, as the plot thickens, it all gradually starts to make sense.

The story features a psycopath, an abandoned village that had almost disappeared into the sea, anonymous phone calls, old photographs, Las Vegas high rollers, a stolen laptop.

David Raker was very observant and good at reading people......

Sometimes the clearest picture of a person came from the smallest things: the way he'd set his pen and paper down parallel to one another pointed towards a meticulous mind; the way he'd torn out the last notes in the pad - as if to keep them away from prying eyes - suggested a suspicious one too.

The writing was detailed and compelling, the characters were interesting and, after a slow start, never boring.

 

Source:  From RealReaders

 

A Richard and Judy's Autumn 2013 Book Club Title

About Tim Weaver and his books

It was supposed to be the start of a big night out. But when Emily Kane arrives at her sister Carrie's house, she finds the front door unlocked and no one inside. Dinner's cooking, the TV's on. Carrie, her husband and their two daughters are gone.
When the police draw a blank, Emily asks missing persons investigator David Raker to find them. It's clear someone doesn't want the family found.
But as he gets closer to the truth, Raker begins to uncover evidence of a sinister cover-up, spanning decades and costing countless lives. And worse, in trying to find Emily's missing family, he might just have made himself the next target...

Read more at http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780241954416,00.html#0Dwpbyf23qLfJx3I.99

It was supposed to be the start of a big night out. But when Emily Kane arrives at her sister Carrie's house, she finds the front door unlocked and no one inside. Dinner's cooking, the TV's on. Carrie, her husband and their two daughters are gone.
When the police draw a blank, Emily asks missing persons investigator David Raker to find them. It's clear someone doesn't want the family found.
But as he gets closer to the truth, Raker begins to uncover evidence of a sinister cover-up, spanning decades and costing countless lives. And worse, in trying to find Emily's missing family, he might just have made himself the next target...

Read more at http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780241954416,00.html#0Dwpbyf23qLfJx3I.99

Beauty Care Product Review: OLAY REGENERIST COMPLEXION CORRECTOR CREAM - LIGHTEST SKIN TONE

OLAY

REGENERIST COMPLEXION CORRECTOR CREAM

LIGHTEST SKIN TONE

 

 

• Instantly perfect skin tone
• Reduce the look of wrinkles in 2 weeks
• Minimize the appearance of dark spots in 8 weeks
• Olay's breakthrough formula that blends: a penetrating serum + an SPF15 moisturiser + a sheer foundation
• Fragrance free

I've been using different Oil of Olay moisturisers on and off for many years but this is the first time I've used this particular cream and, so far, after several weeks of using it every day, I've been very pleased with the results.

It comes in a pretty pump action spiral bottle which made a nice change from the usual bland bottles I've used in the past.  It looks lovely sitting on your dressing table.

 

It blends very easily on my skin and feels lovely and creamy, it definitely evens out my skin tone giving it a nice rich colour.  My skin is very fair so this lightest skin tone is perfect for me.  It lasts all day but I have noticed that towards the evening my skin starts to feel a little greasy.

I don't normally wear make up and this is perfect for me as it is so light and my skin doesn't feel clogged.

The only downside is that it does feel a little uncomfortable for a few minutes just after I've put it on but that soon goes away, though I don't usually have any problems in that respect, so maybe it would not be suitable if you have a sensitive skin.

 

It contains SPF 15.

Available from Amazon.co.uk and all good beauty stores.

Book Review: Virtual Book Tour: MURDER BY SYLLABUB BY KATHLEEN DELANEY

 

MURDER BY SYLLABUB

BY

KATHLEEN DELANEY

Published by Camel Press in May 2013

About the Book:

A ghost in Colonial dress has been wreaking havoc at an old plantation house in Virginia. The house is owned by Elizabeth Smithwood, the best friend of Ellen McKenzie's Aunt Mary. Mary is determined to fly to the rescue, and Ellen has no choice but to leave her real estate business and new husband to accompany her. Who else will keep the old girl out of trouble?

When Ellen and Aunt Mary arrive, they find that Elizabeth's "house" comprises three sprawling buildings containing all manner of secret entrances and passages, not to mention slave cabins. But who owns what and who owned whom? After Monty--the so-called ghost and stepson of Elizabeth's dead husband--turns up dead in Elizabeth's house, suspicion falls on her. Especially when the cause of death is a poisoned glass of syllabub taken from a batch of the sweet, creamy after-dinner drink sitting in Elizabeth's refrigerator.

Monty had enemies to spare. Why was he roaming the old house? What was he searching for? To find the truth, Ellen and her Aunt Mary will have to do much more than rummage through stacks of old crates; they will have to expose two hundred years of grudges and vendettas. The spirits they disturb are far deadlier than the one who brought them to Virginia.

A Syllabub is a sweet dessert drink, made from lemon juice, white wine and cream.  The Colonials loved it.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery, the fifth book in the Ellen McKenzie mystery series.  

Ellen's Aunt Mary has been asked to help her old friend Elizabeth who believes a ghost has been trying to kill her.  On their first evening there the 'ghost' called Monty is found murdered by a glass of poisoned Syllabub.  Monty, the nasty stepson of Elizabeth's deceased husband, was found dressed as a colonial gentleman in a locked up house, but how did he get there and who would want to kill him?

As the plot deepens we learn that there are plenty of suspects and lots of motives.

For fans of colonial history and family secrets with twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end this is an entertaining read.

I received this ebook from Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an unbiased review

Book Review: COLD SACRIFICE BY LEIGH RUSSELL

COLD SACRIFICE

BY

LEIGH RUSSELL

Published by No Exit Press on 26 Sept 2013

About the Book:

When Henry's wife is stabbed to death, he pays a prostitute to give him an alibi. Her body is discovered, strangled, and the police realise they are dealing with a serial killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. While they are hunting for evidence, another prostitute is brutally murdered. On the track of a vicious killer, Detective Ian Peterson doesn't realise he is risking the life of his young colleague, Polly.

"An anonymous victim, no signs of the killer, no witnesses and no murder weapon"

This is the first of a new series to feature Detective Ian Peterson as the main protagonist after appearing in a supporting role in the first three Geraldine Steel novels.

I liked him instantly, he is in his mid-30's, intelligent, caring and passionate about his work as he awaits news of the promotion he has recently applied for.  Newly married to his childhood sweetheart, he wonders if he's done the right thing due to his wife Bev's moods. This is a theme throughout the book, his wife dislikes his job, the irregular hours and is always complaining about being on her own so much, he feels he is walking on eggshells and tries to avoid confrontations with her as much as he can.

Some of the sad characters include Henry who couldn't care less about his wife's murder, their son Mark who's a loner and, according to everyone, was close to his mother and young teenager Ben whose home life consists of being bullied and beaten by his stepdad and bullied by everyone else until one day he finds a knife which instantly gives him a certain respect.

The writing is sharp and crisp with short and neat chapters.

I would probably read another in this series due to the likeability of the main character.

I received this book from Nudge Real Readers in exchange for an unbiased review.

The website for Leigh Russell is here
Buy the book from Amazon.co.uk

Book Review: SOME DAY I'LL FIND YOU BY RICHARD MADELEY

SOME DAY I'LL FIND YOU

BY

RICHARD MADELEY

Published by Simon & Schuster July 2013

About the Book:

James Blackwell is sexy and handsome and a fighter pilot - every girl's dream partner. At least that is what Diana Arnold thinks when her brother first introduces them. Before long they are in love and marry hastily just as war is declared.
Then fate delivers what is the first of its cruel twists: James, the day of their wedding, is shot down over Northern France and killed. Diana is left not only a widow but pregnant with their child.
Ten years later, contentedly remarried, Diana finds herself in the south of France, sitting one morning in a sunny village square. A taxi draws up and she hears the voice of a man speaking English - the unmistakable voice of someone who will set out to torment her and blackmail her and from whom there can be only one means of escape... - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Some-Day-I%27ll-Find-You/Richard-Madeley/9781471112638#sthash.skRuYJAg.dpuf

James Blackwell is sexy and handsome and a fighter pilot - every girl's dream partner. At least that is what Diana Arnold thinks when her brother first introduces them. Before long they are in love and marry hastily just as war is declared.
Then fate delivers what is the first of its cruel twists: James, the day of their wedding, is shot down over Northern France and killed. Diana is left not only a widow but pregnant with their child.
Ten years later, contentedly remarried, Diana finds herself in the south of France, sitting one morning in a sunny village square. A taxi draws up and she hears the voice of a man speaking English - the unmistakable voice of someone who will set out to torment her and blackmail her and from whom there can be only one means of escape... - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Some-Day-I%27ll-Find-You/Richard-Madeley/9781471112638#sthash.skRuYJAg.dpuf

James Blackwood is sexy and handsome and a fighter pilot - every girl's dream partner. At least that is what Diana Arnold thinks when her brother first introduces them. Before long they are in love and marry hastily just as war is declared.
Then fate delivers what is the first of its cruel twists: James, the day of their wedding, is shot down over Northern France and killed. Diana is left not only a widow but pregnant with their child.
Ten years later, contentedly remarried, Diana finds herself in the south of France, sitting one morning in a sunny village square. A taxi draws up and she hears the voice of a man speaking English - the unmistakable voice of someone who will set out to torment her and blackmail her and from whom there can be only one means of escape...

"....You're special, James; really special.  You'll see.  One of these days you'll surprise the world, just you see if you don't.  You'll amaze everyone.  And you'll have beautiful, beautiful ladies - princesses, I shouldn't wonder - who'll give anything to be your wife.  Mark my words."

Author Richard Madeley is best known in the UK for being a TV presenter and, together with his wife, Judy Finnegan, they presented the daytime show This Morning for many years.  He has now written his first novel and it is a reasonable debut.

The first part of the story starts in 1951 in Southern France where Diana is sat outside a cafe when she hears an English voice and we immediately realise that something is wrong.

In the second part we are taken back to Southern England in 1938 and, over the next 100+ pages we learn of the build up to that morning in 1951.

We learn about Diana's wealthy upbringing with her parents and older brother James who is training to be a RAF pilot. One day he is home on leave and brings with him James "pin-up material, a gift for the RAF's propaganda unit, blond and blue-eyed" and Diana is immediately smitten.  Everyone thinks James is wonderful and charming but is he really like that or is he manipulative and looking for a rich wife?

When James is shot down over France on their wedding day Diana is devastated.

The third and final part of the story begins as the book started - outside the cafe in 1951 and to say anything more would spoil it.

The story was well-written and Diana is by far the most interesting and well-rounded character.  I found some of the dialogue a little stilted and unreal and I thought some of the situations the main characters found themselves in a little unbelievable.  Having said that, I did quite enjoy the book, it's an entertaining read and the dual time periods were well put together. 

Special Thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me this book in exchange for an unbiased review.  A question to the Publishers: Why the title 'Some Day I'll Find You'?  To me, it just did not fit with the storyline.

James Blackwell is sexy and handsome and a fighter pilot - every girl's dream partner. At least that is what Diana Arnold thinks when her brother first introduces them. Before long they are in love and marry hastily just as war is declared.
Then fate delivers what is the first of its cruel twists: James, the day of their wedding, is shot down over Northern France and killed. Diana is left not only a widow but pregnant with their child.
Ten years later, contentedly remarried, Diana finds herself in the south of France, sitting one morning in a sunny village square. A taxi draws up and she hears the voice of a man speaking English - the unmistakable voice of someone who will set out to torment her and blackmail her and from whom there can be only one means of escape... - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Some-Day-I%27ll-Find-You/Richard-Madeley/9781471112638#sthash.skRuYJAg.dpuf

James Blackwell is sexy and handsome and a fighter pilot - every girl's dream partner. At least that is what Diana Arnold thinks when her brother first introduces them. Before long they are in love and marry hastily just as war is declared.
Then fate delivers what is the first of its cruel twists: James, the day of their wedding, is shot down over Northern France and killed. Diana is left not only a widow but pregnant with their child.
Ten years later, contentedly remarried, Diana finds herself in the south of France, sitting one morning in a sunny village square. A taxi draws up and she hears the voice of a man speaking English - the unmistakable voice of someone who will set out to torment her and blackmail her and from whom there can be only one means of escape... - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Some-Day-I%27ll-Find-You/Richard-Madeley/9781471112638#sthash.skRuYJAg.dpuf

Book Review: CLOSE MY EYES BY SOPHIE MCKENZIE

CLOSE MY EYES

BY 

SOPHIE MCKENZIE

Published by Simon & Schuster in May 2013

About the Book:

It's been eight years since Gen Loxley lost her daughter, Beth: eight years of grief in which nothing's really moved forward, for all that her husband, Art, wills it to. Gen, once a writer of novels, has settled in to a life of half-hearted teaching, while Art makes his name and their fortune - and pressures her into trying IVF once again. For Gen, it seems a cruel act of replacement; life without Beth is unthinkable, unbearable - but still it goes on. And then a woman arrives on Gen's doorstep, saying the very thing she longs to hear: that her daughter was not stillborn, but was spirited away as a healthy child, and is out there, waiting to be found.... So why is Art reluctant to get involved? To save his wife from further hurt? Or something much more sinister? What is the truth about Beth Loxley?

"Once an idea has been planted in your head, you can't just toss it out again.  You have to follow it through to the end."

After six failed IVF attempts, Gen is reluctant to try again though her husband, Art, is still hopeful that it will work.  Spoken in the first person by Gen, she feels inadequate compared to Art's successful business and she is still mourning the loss of her daughter, Beth, who was born dead eight years ago.

Art is kind, smart, shrewd and completely driven, while Beth is just going through the motions of everyday life.

When a middle aged woman turns up at their home and tells Gen an unbelievable story of her baby daughter being born alive and taken away by the doctor, she clings to the hope that Beth could be alive, but Art refuses to believe the story and tries to persuade Gen that the woman is lying.

"I know Art's is the logical way forward but I want to believe the impossible.  I want to believe that Beth is out there somewhere, waiting for me to find her."

Then an old colleague of Art's, Irishman Lorcan Byrne, comes back on the scene and he decides to help Gen in her search, much to Art's disgust.  Both Gen's best friend and Art think that Gen is becoming obsessed and may even be going mad.

As the story moves forward, we only know what's going on inside Gen's head, not anyone else's and this helps to keep the suspense going.  Just when I thought it was going in one direction the author does a great job of taking me into another completely different and unexpected direction.  I certainly never guessed the ending.  I suspected everyone at one point!

The characters were all believable, especially Gen, I really felt for her.  I thought the storyline was unpredictable, clever and enjoyable.

Whilst reading the novel, I was reminded of the brilliant psychological thriller, Little Face by Sophie Hannah, also told in the first person, and one of my favourite reads.

If you enjoy a good psychological thriller please put this on your to read list, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Special Thanks to the publishers for sending me this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

BOOK REVIEW: THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE BY ROSY THORNTON

THE TAPESTRY OF LOVE BY ROSY THORNTON

About the Book:

A rural idyll: that's what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and her dream is to set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you're no longer just here on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbours, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that's before the arrival of Catherine's sister, Bryony...

'Living in the French countryside isn't always as idyllic as it sounds ......'

What a gem of a book this is.  

48 year old Catherine swaps a sleepy English village for an even sleepier French one to start her own soft furnishings company high up in the mountains.

As she starts to settle into rural life growing vegetables, fruit, keeping bees, she also gets involved in the local community and the local neighbours, from the elderly endearing couple the Meriels who make cheese from their 87 goats, to the enigmatic and reclusive Patrick who is not what he seems.

I loved the vivid descriptions of the scenery, I could almost picture her little house on the side of the mountain with the rain lashing down and the beautiful views.  The electricity was temperamental, the phone line comes and goes according to the weather.

December drove out the autumn damp to leave clear skies  and bright sunshine.  In the early mornings, frost edged the twigs and rimed the stone window sills of Les Fenils, but after lunch it was warm enough for Catherine to take a chair out on to the terrace with a book and a cup of Madame Bouschet's lime flower tea.

I liked the way each chapter had a title such as 'The House of Silk' or 'L'Entente Cordiale' .... giving a flavour of what was to come in each neat, precise and short chapters.  This is a feel good book, gentle, quaint and full of real characters and I loved it!  I was sorry to finish it and leave Catherine and her mountains behind.

A perfect book for whiling away a sunny afternoon in the garden.....

Special Thanks to Rosy Thornton for sending me her book to read and enjoy.  

To read more of the story behind the book check out her website.

Available from Amazon.co.uk

BOOK REVIEW: Blog Tour: MERCY ROW BY HARRY HALLMAN

    MERCY ROW BY HARRY HALLMAN  

About the Book:

 

Mercy Row is a novel set in 1920's and 1930's Philadelphia. It's the story of the rise of a North Philadelphia crime family who was also responsible for building the homes and factories that make up this blue collar area of the city. Despite the violent trials and tribulations caused by rival gangs from South Philadelphia and Chicago Jacob Byrne and Franklin Garrett, with the help of the Irish immigrants that settled the Kensington area, build a formidable Irish mob.

This legal and criminal enterprise kept North Philadelphia free from the Mafia for two generations. Jacob's and Franklin's organization was built on the blood of those who opposed them, the sweat of the laborers who built North Philly and the tears of the wives and mothers whose loved ones were lost in the struggle. 

 

When Jacob Byrne and Franklin Garrett meet for the first time in a jail cell, neither of them could visualize that this would be the start of an unlikely and lucrative friendship.  Jacob's father is the wealthy and powerful head of the construction company where Franklin is the head of construction.

Together with the Irish immigrants they form a gang to suppress the Mafia in Philadelphia and this book is the story of their rise to power.

 

I thought the swearing was a little over the top and could not help feeling that it was more for shock value than effect, but some readers may not feel like that.  

For a debut novel it kept my attention throughout, the writing was simple, not challenging, and the characters were interesting but I did not feel that I got to know any of them intimately.

Overall, a good story and one for anyone who's interested in this time period.

 

The Blog Tour can be found at Sage's Blog Tours

BOOK REVIEW: SWORD & SCIMITAR BY SIMON SCARROW

SWORD & SCIMITAR

BY 

SIMON SCARROW

Published:  April 2013 (Headline)

1565; In its hour of greatest need, Malta must rely upon the ancient Knights of the Order of St John for survival. Bound by the strongest ties: of valour, of courage and of passion, the Knights must defend their island against ferocious and deadly Ottoman attack. For Sir Thomas Barrett, summoned by the Order and compelled by loyalty - to the Knights, to his honour and to his Queen - returning to the besieged island means revisiting a past he had long since lain to rest. As the beleaguered Knights grapple to retain control, decade-old feuds will be reawakened, intense passions rekindled and deadly secrets revealed.

This epic tale starts with a sea battle in the Mediterranean between the Christian Knights of St. John and the Muslims of the Ottoman Empire, this sets the scene for what is to come later.  On one of the captured ships, Sir Thomas Barrett discovers a woman who has been kidnapped and thus begins his downfall as they start a doomed affair which goes against everything the Knights stand for.

When they are discovered Sir Thomas is banished from Malta and so begins 20 years of fighting as a mercenary in Europe not knowing what has happened to the love of his life Maria.

When he is summoned back to Malta to help the Knights defend Christendom and Malta against Sultan Suleiman and the Turks he is determined to find out what has happened to Maria once and for all.

With the added mystery of being told to retrieve a lost document in Malta that if made public could tear England apart, an accompanying squire who is not what he seems, bloody battle scenes, being outnumbered 7 to 1 by the Turks, romance, treachery, revenge.....this is not a book for the faint-hearted though it is a very good read!

Sir Thomas is the kind of man who you would want at your side in a battle, he's strong, courageous and skilled at arms.  He's also a good person who is utterly trustworthy and I was really rooting for him.

This is a historical tale of the Great Siege of Malta, something of which I knew nothing about, and the author really brings to life how brave the citizens of Malta, together with the Knights of St John, were in their fight against the might of the Ottoman Empire.  Fascinating stuff.

Read this and you'll want to read more of Simon Scarrow's other novels.  Details of which can all be found at his website scarrow.co.uk.

Source of this review book was Nudge (Real Readers).  Thank you for sending it to me.

 

Book Review: THE GIRL UNDER THE OLIVE TREE BY LEAH FLEMING

THE GIRL UNDER THE OLIVE TREE

BY

LEAH FLEMING

Published:  Jan 2013 (Hardcover)

May 1941 and the island of Crete is invaded by paratroopers from the air. After a lengthy fight, thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers are forced to take to the hills or become escaping PoWs, sheltered by the Cretan villagers. 

Sixty years later, Lois West and her young son, Alex, invite feisty Great Aunt Pen to a special eighty-fifth birthday celebration on Crete, knowing she has not been back there since the war. Penelope George - formerly Giorgidiou - is reluctant to go but is persuaded by the fact it is the 60th anniversary of the Battle. It is time for her to return and make the journey she never thought she'd dare to.

The story starts in 2001 as Penelope is undecided about facing her fears and going back to Crete where she endured "the best and worst of times indeed, savage cruelty, suffering, hunger and yet it was also the time of my life, a time filled with the exhilaration of danger and the overwhelming kindness of strangers.  There were many things about that time that I could never tell anyone."

When she finally makes the journey with her family the story travels back and forth in time and we slowly build up a picture of Penelope's extraordinary life during the Second World War on Crete, of how she originally fled there from her home in Scotland to escape her mother's hopes of her marrying a title, when all she wanted was to be an archaeologist.  

When Penelope helped an elderly Jewish man who had been beaten and robbed in the street she met her friend Yolanda and, together, they joined the Red Cross.  She felt more at home in Greece than in England and when war broke out she helped the wounded soldiers.

It is then that her extraordinary story is told, some in flashbacks to her family, and some she keeps to herself.

I also found it interesting to hear another side of the story told from one of the German officers who were there at the same time as Penelope and who also travels to the 60th anniversary.

This story is about how ordinary people coped in difficult and challenging circumstances, how they lived and died, about courage, uncertainty and hope, good times and bad times and how they fell in love during the most appalling conditions they had to endure.

Penelope was a fabulous character, she was warm, brave, loyal, feisty and incredibly likeable.

Not a light and easy book to read as it deals with a sad subject, but I really enjoyed it and, particularly the latter part, I could not put it down.

This is the second book I have read by Leah Fleming, my review of her novel, The Captain's Daughter which is about fictional characters who survived the Titanic, is here.

Available from Amazon.co.uk.

Special Thanks to the Publishers, Simon & Schuster for sending me this book.

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Book Review: A PASSIONATE LOVE AFFAIR WITH A TOTAL STRANGER

Genre:  Fiction
Published:  Jan 2013 by Penguin Books
Source:  RealReaders

About the Book:

Charley Lambert has put considerable effort into achieving a perfect life. She has The Job. The Wardrobe. And The Flat. Her womanising, junk food-loving housemate Sam lowers the tone a bit but that aside, things are peachy.
Then she breaks her leg in three places, watches her unrequited love propose to someone else and - worst of all - is forced to hand over her job to her nasty deputy while she recovers. Workaholic Charley fears that she will soon go mad.
Desperate for something to do, she discovers her talent for helping the lovelorn online. And then William arrives in her inbox. Within hours of his first email, her world starts to change. Helpless, she watches herself fall in love with this man and begins to realise that she's not who she thought she was.
But will she be brave enough to turn her back on her old life - all for a total stranger?


Charley, 32, is obsessed with healthy eating, exercise and work!  She hates having nothing to do and when she breaks her leg and is forced to take it easy she is mortified.  All her plans go awry.  She becomes obsessed with a man on her internet dating website who seems to know her better than she knows herself. 

I exhaled slowly.  This was all getting a bit heavy.  And yet he was hitting home.  Quite hard, in fact.  Was I a perfectionist?  Bloody hell, yes!  I was more of a perfectionist than anyone I knew!  I crippled myself trying to make the perfect risotto, to buy the perfect wine, to be the perfect employee.  I got furious with myself if I lost so much as a tenth of a second from my ideal running time round Holyrood Park.

I found Charley quite hard to like, though she is an interesting character and I enjoyed seeing her change throughout the book.  This wasn't quite a book that I couldn't put down but I did enjoy it, it had some funny moments. 

It was a well-written and light-hearted read.


 

Book Review: THE ELOQUENCE OF DESIRE BY AMANDA SINGTON-WILLIAMS

Genre:  Fiction
Published:  2010 by Sparkling Books
Source:  Author

About the Book:

Set in the 1950s, The Eloquence of Desire explores the conflicts in family relationships caused by obsessive love, the lost innocence of childhood and the terror of the Communist insurgency in Malaya.

Richly descriptive and well-researched, the story told by Amanda Sington-Williams unfolds as George is posted to the tropics in punishment for an affair with the daughter of his boss. His wife, Dorothy, constrained by social norms, begrudgingly accompanies him while their twelve year old daughter Susan is packed off to boarding school.

Desire and fantasy mix with furtive visits, lies and despair to turn the family inside out.

We first meet George, travelling home on the tube, after his meeting with his boss where he learns of his 'promotion' to Malaya.  Both he and his wife know it's anything but a promotion.  

His wife Dorothy feels powerless to do anything but go with him as she feared being frowned upon and shunned by other people if she divorced George.  "The alternative to divorce, thought Dorothy, was to grit her teeth and depart for Malaya."

She hates Malaya and they are both bored, Dorothy starts to fantasise about having an affair and their relationship is tested by other people and the frightening Communist threat to their lives.

Each chapter is written from a different person's perspective and I thought this gave an added dimension to the story.  The chapters also moved the story along so I was made to really think about what must have happened as the author quite often just gave clues and it was left to me to work it out, most of the time this worked okay.

Overall, I did like this style of writing, it flowed very easily.  The descriptions of Malaya and the people seemed real and believable and I could easily picture them.

I enjoyed this story and would happily read another book by Amanda Sington-Williams.

Special thanks to the author for sending me this book to download.